Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies

Even though temperatures hovered around 70 degrees, this weekend really felt more like a fall weekend than a summer weekend. Yesterday I spent the whole day watching football and baking with pumpkin. If summer really does have to end, then it doesn't get any better than football and pumpkin. Of course it never hurts when the Patriots win, even if they just barely squeak out the win like they did yesterday. This is also my first year participating in a weekly football pool, which makes the games even more interesting to watch. Between all of the games, I found time to make these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies. Last week I said I hadn't really done any serious pumpkin baking yet. Well that all changed this weekend and you will probably start seeing a lot more pumpkin recipes on the blog going forward. 

These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies are incredibly rich. I only needed half of a brownie to satisfy my craving. The pumpkin cream cheese flavor is present, but not overpowering by any means. I originally wasn't sure how I felt about the chocolate and pumpkin combination, but the two flavors just work together. If you love rich brownies, then I just know that you will love these.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirled Brownies
Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup vanilla greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk
2 large egg whites (save 1 yolk for the cream cheese swirl)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Cream Cheese Swirl:
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all of the brownie ingredients. Mix with a large wooden spoon until fully combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The batter will be very thin. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

To make the cream cheese swirl mixture, combine the pumpkin puree and cream cheese in a medium bowl. With a hand mixer, beat until smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar, egg yolk, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves. Beat until combined and creamy. Spoon the mixture on top of the brownie batter. Gently swirl with a knife to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull apart from the sides of the pan. Allow the brownies to cool completely in the pan before serving. I put the pan in the refrigerator for about an hour to make cutting the brownies a little easier.